The world records everything and sometimes it leads to ‘The Big Take’

Coming to DVD from writer/director Justin Daly and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is one video and “The Big Take.”

Douglas Brown (James McCaffrey) is a huge Hollywood actor who has a night that he wants to forget. Vic (Slate Holmgren) has cameras running at the Universe Club and Brown has no idea what’s about to happen. Vic confiscates the incriminating video and has a serious plan.

Working on getting financing for their film “The Night of the Fire,” Vic hits up Max (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) with the good news that Brown will be a silent partner financing their film. The one condition, says Vic, is that Brown wants to remain anonymous. What Max doesn’t know is that Vic is blackmailing Brown for $200,000.

Brown turns to his agent who in turn hires Frank Manascalpo (Dan Hedaya) who has seen worse in his day. Bea (Tara Westwood) works with Frank and knows the works at the Universal Club and discovers the missing hard drive from the security camera. She also discovers that underneath the ransom note is a clue leading to Max.

Frank talks to Max about what he knows and that’s where the confusion comes in. Frank wants to know what Max knows and Max doesn’t understand why the actor is going back on his anonymity. That’s about the time Max’s hot wife Oxana (Oksana Lada) comes to the rescue.

Now Frank has to call in a specialist, Edie (Zoe Bell) has the look of someone you never want to deal with and she charges accordingly. Soon after Frank receives a call from Detective Aborn (Robert Forster) saying that Max and Oxana want to discuss a film project. Frank is seriously confused by it all and tries to call off Edie but she has plans of her own.

Gathering up the players, Edie wants to know what is happening, Max wants to know where Oxana is, Vic is wrapped up tight and Brown can’t explain why his money is in Panama. Confused yet? So is everyone else but sometimes confusion comes with the movie making territory!

Moss-Bachrach as Max is an easy going writer who just wants to get a movie made. Little does he know that he’s about to mentally go around in circles thanks to his buddy.

Thinking he has been set up by Brown in some way, he tries to get answers that only make things a little worse. Moss-Bachrach is endearing and confused which is a good combination when you can pull it off which he does.

McCaffrey as Brown starts out the film with something that will shock him the next morning. Of course, the film isn’t specific but I’m sure by the look on the faces of everyone who sees the blackmail DVD, it’s epic cause for disaster. McCaffrey is funny and plays this character as a man who has double worries – money in Panama and a nasty DVD. Forster as Det. Aborn is more confused than anyone else in the film and rightly so.

Hedaya as Frank is smart but not quick or else he wouldn’t have gotten a smackdown. His call for back up brings Bell as Edie who is a tad curious of a character and totally psycho. Well done Bell!

Lada as Oxana is happy with her music and being skimpy for her husband but has no problem what so ever wielding a gun or loaded fire extinguisher. Holmgren as Vic is that friend you have to keep an eye out on – all the time! He wants to get the film made and will do pretty much anything to make it happen.

Other cast include John Enose III as Rick, Joslyn Jensen as Laura, Taylor Black as Brigitte, Nick Daly as Wade and Matthew Kehoe as Matt.

“The Big Take” is a cheeky movie within a movie that has a lot going on for it. First of all, a hilarious cast of characters that truly have no idea what is going on. The one person who does end up knocked out in the hospital and can’t straight anything out.

That being said, it’s also a film about the misunderstandings of people who are doing shady stuff! The only innocent people in all this are Max and Oxana and I give them props for not letting anything or anyone get the better of them.

The film made me chuckle a lot and found myself talking to the screen and I have to admit I actually enjoy doing that. Director Justin Daly comes from a film making legacy as his grandmother is screen legend Ingrid Bergman. He is currently working on his next feature film.

In the end – sometimes you gotta do a little killing to make a living!